Star Wars Actress Carrie Fisher Dies at 60

Carrie Fisher has passed away on Tuesday 27 December 2016, following a heart attack this holiday weekend. She was 60.

Fisher initially suffered from this emergency while flying into LAX airport on dec 23, 2016, and remained in a Los Angeles hospital for four days. The most recent update on her condition came on Christmas Day when her mother, Hollywood legacy Debbie Reynolds reported her to be in stable condition.

Fisher is a notable name for numerous reasons. She appeared on the Broadway stage with her mother after dropping out of high school, she delighted audiences chasing after John Belushi in The Blues Brothers, and has written satire and autobiographies about her life as a cultural icon and her personal problems.

Of course, Fisher is best known for her role as Princess Leia starting in George Lucas’ 1977 Star Wars: A New Hope along with it’s sequels, returning to the galaxy far, far away in last year’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In that role, Fisher not only took part is creating one of the most enduring and beloved fictional universes ever, but she accomplished so much more in the process. Princess Leia told the world that not all princesses were wilting flowers, and femininity did not preclude anyone from being interesting or important beyond simply being an object to be saved. Furthermore, there are few characters that simultaneously can embody the strength and sexuality as Leia did while still be taken seriously. It’s no wonder that she is such a common sight at cosplay conventions for both women and men.

Carrie Fisher embodied a lot of progressive ideas before they were widely accepted. Being born to old Hollywood royalty, she embodied the spirit and freedom of the new Hollywood to come. When people say she was a culture icon, it goes beyond the cinnamon bun hair and the blaster, to her word and her deeds. Fisher has left a lasting mark on the world and she did so with grace and dignity. It is a small consolation that we will be able to see her in next year’s upcoming release Star Wars: Episode VIII, even if it will be for the last time. She leaves the world better for having been here, though darker because she left.